Omega Kitchens
Omega Kitchens strengthens operations, safeguards manufacturing and prepares for future automation.
The Customer
Omega Kitchens designs and manufactures premium British kitchens for specialist retailers and housing developers from its purpose-built manufacturing complex.
Cyber criminals increasingly target manufacturing businesses, so we needed to improve our cybersecurity posture. That’s where the project really began for us.
The Challenge
Paul notes that connectivity was also strained: “When I joined, we had a pair of 100Mb links that were constantly maxed out, and there was no real way to control or prioritise traffic. To add to the issues, the network was not easy to scale, so it had stayed pretty much static while our business gradually outgrew it.”
But day-to-day, the company’s wireless connectivity caused the most frustration. “Our Wi-Fi was about ten years old,” Paul recalls. “Speeds were low, it was congested, and we had mulitple black spots. It was clear we needed a major overhaul.”
The SD-WAN deployment also introduced much-needed network segmentation. Now we can slice and dice the traffic, apply quality-of-service parameters and rate-limit certain workloads so they don’t swamp the links.
The Solution
Paul had worked with Node4 in several previous roles. He understood the breadth of their experience, making the MSP a logical choice for a multi-stage project to overhaul the company’s cybersecurity, phone and contact centre infrastructure, and network architecture.
Phase 1 – Strengthening the network foundation
Node4 began by modernising Omega Kitchens’ security architecture. “They recommended the Fortinet stack, centred on FortiGate firewalls,” Paul says. “It gives us IPS, IDS, gateway antivirus, web filtering and, crucially, the ability to segment operational technology (OT) from IT in one platform.”
This security-led segmentation formed the foundation for protecting the company’s automated manufacturing systems. Once in place, Node4 upgraded Omega Kitchens to dual 1Gb SD-WAN circuits, adding Starlink as a third failover option. “Our two main internet links run down the same street, so a single fibre break could have taken everything offline,” Paul notes. “Adding Starlink gave us the critical resilience we were missing.”
Phase 2 – A complete wireless transformation
Next, Node4 designed and configured the new wireless environment across Omega Kitchens’ two-floor showroom and office spaces, engaging Electron as a specialist deployment partner for the survey, cabling and on-site installation.
“Once this phase was completed, we had updated access point placements, increased coverage density and rebuilt roaming zones,” Paul comments. “Ageing hardware was updated, and coverage gaps were closed, giving us consistent connectivity throughout the showroom and offices.”
“Node4 and Electron then transformed wireless coverage across our manufacturing and warehouse environments. Long aisles, high ceilings and densely packed metal storage had always created challenging radio conditions, so the redesign introduced Wi-Fi 6 access points and directional antennas to improve reach and stability,” Paul explains.
Now, thanks to reliable roaming Wi-Fi, our tours run smoothly from start to finish. It helps our sales teams present our products in their best light and lets customers see all the options available to them before choosing their kitchen.
The Results
Smoother warehouse and production workflows
Omega Kitchens’ warehouse and production lines rely on fast, uninterrupted barcode scanning to keep materials moving. Every item is scanned at each workstation, and if Wi-Fi drops, the process stalls.
“This process is central to daily operations,” Paul notes. “Everything that moves through the building gets scanned. If the connection drops in a certain spot, you can get stuck trying to reconnect or rescan the item. It slows everything down and can bring the whole flow to a standstill.”
“The redesigned wireless network has removed that friction,” he adds. “The new coverage is already making a difference, and improved barcode scanner connectivity is a big win.”
Virtual tours that showcase exceptional kitchens
“Our huge two-floor showroom plays a key role in supporting national sales,” Paul confirms. “Retailers, developers and partners regularly take virtual tours to experience new ranges, explore design options and make buying decisions.”
“Before the refresh, you’d be halfway through a virtual tour with a customer, and the call would just fall over,” he explains. “It didn’t look good. We were showcasing premium kitchens, but the technology behind the tour couldn’t keep up. We needed the experience to match the quality of our products.”
The same wireless reliability improvements have also transformed virtual meetings and office-based video calling. “Calls would drop out, we’d have to turn the video off or mute people, otherwise they’d drop off the call. It got so bad that it actually became the principal driver for upgrading our Wi-Fi,” Paul says.
Modernised phone contact centre infrastructure
With Wi-Fi–driven improvements to video calling in place, Paul and his team embarked on a separate project to upgrade the company’s ageing phone system – the contact centre’s backbone and a critical communications channel for the wider business.
“The old phone system was difficult to manage and lacked key features that could improve the customer experience,” Paul explains. “It was end-of-life and offered very little control, no visibility and no way to fix issues when they occurred.”
By contrast, the new Webex platform has given Omega Kitchens far more flexibility and functionality. “We now have proper call queues, reporting, recordings and wrap-up times – everything a modern contact centre needs. The system can also digitally transcribe calls, which removes a time-consuming and much-disliked admin task.”
Node4 took ownership of everything – from SD-WAN and security through to Wi-Fi upgrades and phone system modernisation.
The Node4 Difference
“From the outset, I wanted a central point of contact,” Paul explains. “Some organisations take a piecemeal approach to IT upgrades and managed services. They break down the project and assign it to different suppliers. But I wasn’t going to go down that path. I wanted a single point of contact where responsibility rested and where any issues could be easily resolved.”
We got one team, one escalation route and one partner committed to making the project a success. The technology is a great fit for our organisation, but the real difference is in the way Node4 brings it all together,” he concludes.